Politics: September 2008

Last week was a bad one for the McCain campaign, no matter how you slice it. First, he pulls the stunt of trying to "suspend" the campaign, only to get called out by Obama when the chronology of their exchange...Read More

Editors' Note: Guest blogger Helen Boyd is a partner of a trans person and queerio in her own right. She is the author of My Husband Betty and She's Not the Man I Married. Her blog (en)gender can be found...Read More

Sometimes it's absolutely amazing how often Hollywood and Washington mix and mingle. Clinton's Balkan excursions were often compared to Wag the Dog, for example, while Deputy Director of the US Office of Personnel Management, Howard Weizmann, recently opposed federal domestic...Read More

Oh, I get it. The reason that major news media are not asking Sarah Palin about Joel's Army is...they're shaking in their shoes. They're afraid Palin will start yelling that her faith is being persecuted. As one friend of mine...Read More

In the face of a financial Armageddon, the economy has become the center of the campaign, where it should have been all along. But the moment all Americans have been waiting for - the McCain-Obama debate - was a yawn....Read More

I'm taking this week off from TBP so don't expect to see me around here at all. I'm taking a trip to Ireland today and will be back in the US Friday, and back somewhere on Monday. I thought I'd...Read More

As I departed from a Democratic Party meeting, I was approached by a community activist named Ari Mendel, who thanked me for the presentation I had done at his democratic club. He went on to explain to me that the...Read More

Oh, Indiana wingnuts. Will you ever stop providing so many examples of exactly why your mix of religious extremism and political power are so dangerous? This morning's e-mail brought a fundraising pitch by the Indiana Family Institute's Curt Smith. He's...Read More

My head feels like the terrorists have won. Last Friday, we went to a friend's house for dinner and the debate. My galpal was quickly driven out of the TV room by McCain's smarmy opening gambit about Ted Kennedy's hospitalization....Read More

The pollsters say "It's too close to call"... So we need you calling with us! Join the Phoning for Florida effort from anywhere in the country and help us defeat Amendment 2. If you have a telephone and an internet...Read More

Even as news is spreading across the internet and television about the defeat of the bailout bill in Congress and continued economic turmoil John McCain is getting ready for a massive Hollywood fundraiser on Wednesday. You may remember that McCain...Read More

I volunteered for "Equality Now, the No on 8 Campaign" yesterday, as I've been doing on recent weekends, and I met an amazing 17-year-old FtM. I'll call him "M," as I didn't ask him if I could write about him....Read More

I volunteered for "Equality Now, the No on 8 Campaign" yesterday, as I've been doing on recent weekends, and I met an amazing 17-year-old FtM. I'll call him "M," as I didn't ask him if I could write about him....Read More

I volunteered for "Equality Now, the No on 8 Campaign" yesterday, as I've been doing on recent weekends, and I met an amazing 17-year-old FtM. I'll call him "M," as I didn't ask him if I could write about him....Read More

Glenn Greenwald, who is almost always on the money, penned an interesting piece retracting his initial assessment of Sarah Palin. He had been in the "wait and see" column several weeks ago regarding whether her inexperience necessarily meant that she...Read More

click to enlarge I think Sarah Palin's stance on feminism hearkens back to the Dark Ages. After watching way too many of her pastor's video tapes, and those that Palin appeared in herself, it is a theology that maintains...Read More

Editors' Note: Guest blogger David Orentlicher is an Indiana state representative and Co-Director of the Center for Law and Health at Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.. David graduated from Harvard Medical School and returned to Harvard Law School...Read More

In 2006, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling upholding the Solomon Amendment, a Congressional law that requires colleges and universities to permit military recruiting on campuses, or face losing federal funding for their entire university systems. The...Read More

No one would ever expect John McCain to win Ms Congeniality, but during the presidential debate he cemented his reputation as the Grumpiest Member of the Senate. He didn't even try to hide his contempt for Barack Obama and refused...Read More

With just five weeks before the election, the major media still aren't asking Sarah Palin the hard questions about her religious affiliations. Sure, they've wallowed in the tabloidy stuff, like her alleged political corruption and alleged infidelity to her husband....Read More

Devoid of much cash, luggage, or dogmatic notions, Benjamin Orbach, 27, left JFK airport on July 16th, 2002, bound for Amman, Jordan. An American Jew and Arabic Studies graduate of Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, Orbach was...Read More

It seems that some folks out there are still confused about blog ranking websites and how they work or even what their usefulness are. I don't know why people talk about things they don't really understand or make statements they've...Read More

City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, has been named "Honorary Statewide Co-Chair" of Florida Red & Blue's SayNo2 campaign, which opposes Amendment 2, the deceptive and dangerous Florida "Marriage Protection" Amendment. He joins...Read More

Remember the good old days when we were at the heart of presidential campaigns? Back in 1992, there was President George Bush (The First) declaring on national television that gays are not "normal" people. Vice President Dan Quayle explained on...Read More

Editors' Note: Guest blogger Greta Christina is editor of the new anthology, "Best Erotic Comics," and "Paying For It: A Guide by Sex Workers for Their Clients," a book of advice for sex work customers, written by sex workers and...Read More

Editors' Note: Guest blogger Greta Christina is editor of the new anthology, "Best Erotic Comics," and "Paying For It: A Guide by Sex Workers for Their Clients," a book of advice for sex work customers, written by sex workers and...Read More

I spoke with a friend yesterday who said she was so enraged she could no longer watch television or read any news. She was going to lose it. I don't feel enraged. I feel helpless. Frozen. I cannot change anything...Read More

Remember when Letterman laid an egg as MC at the 1995 Oscars? I was watching that night, and thought he was funny as hell, because I lived in New York long enough to appreciate the city's cocktail mix of irony...Read More

Remember when Letterman laid an egg as MC at the 1995 Oscars? I was watching that night, and thought he was funny as hell, because I lived in New York long enough to appreciate the city's cocktail mix of irony...Read More

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chairwoman of the Committee on Appropriations' Legislative Branch Subcommittee and Vice Chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus, released a strong statement praising U.S. District Court Judge James Robinson's decision in Schroer v. Billington. In Schroer...Read More

This is a post about two headlines and one scary story. Headline one: Bailout is financial equivalent of the Patriot Act The passage is stunning: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed...Read More

This out of the state considering a ban on adoption by unmarried persons: Federal agents and Arkansas state police had raided the headquarters of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in tiny Fouke on Saturday and removed six girls ages 10 to...Read More

Rebuilding Homeownership Homeownership remains key to creating an opportunity society. We support timely and carefully targeted aid to those hurt by the housing crisis so that affected individuals can have a chance to trade a burdensome mortgage for a...Read More

[EDITOR'S NOTE:] This guest post comes to us from Steph Mineart. Steph is a website designer, lesbian, long-time blogger, and occasional writer on political issues. Commonplacebook.com is her online home, and she resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with her lovely girlfriend...Read More

As the $700 billion bailout moves towards approval by Congress, there are enough rumblings of citizen anger that I started wondering why a 7-million-person march on Washington D.C. wasn't developing. Last night, as I watched President Bush tell us in...Read More

As the $700 billion bailout moves towards approval by Congress, there are enough rumblings of citizen anger that I started wondering why a 7-million-person march on Washington D.C. wasn't developing. Last night, as I watched President Bush tell us in...Read More

As the $700 billion bailout moves towards approval by Congress, there are enough rumblings of citizen anger that I started wondering why a 7-million-person march on Washington D.C. wasn't developing. Last night, as I watched President Bush tell us in...Read More

John McCain has been taking a beating over the past 24 hours. Democrats, Republicans and independents all consider his recent campaign 'suspension" nothing more than a cheap political ploy. Now Congressman Andre Carson, has joined the chorus of politicians and...Read More

So did you hear the tale of McCain's $5000 makeup job and Sarah Palin's alleged boot-knocking? The GOP slime machine comes back to haunt them; they should know, given the number of sleazebags in their party that they will end...Read More

"Come on he was naked and holding a fluorescent light at us!" For cops who have never heard of a ladder or applying effort in their jobs this article should come as a relief! When in doubt and feeling lazy...Read More

Celebrity Gossip Blogger Perez Hilton, better known for dishing the dirt on Hollywood starlets, is using his popular website to get political. In a post yesterday on the hugely popular PerezHilton.com, Perez (who is a native Floridian) urged his readers...Read More

LGBT activists and allies in Washington, DC are planning a vigil to commemorate the life of Tony Hunter who was murdered near a gay bar. The murder of Hunter is one of several suspected anti-gay attacks that have occured in...Read More

In order to win this ballot initiative, Religious Righters are making sure they keep their votes parishioners disciplined. They have to know the gravity of this situation to their churches' leaders, so around a hundred evangelical pastors are calling for...Read More

click to enlarge Today McCain has suspended his campaign to "deal with the economic crisis." I guess we need to say good bye to the Straight Talk Express. But no one is buying the horseshit. From THE David Letterman:...Read More

While John McCain was scheduled to appear on last night's Late Show with David Letterman, he canceled his appearance at the last minute citing his decision to suspend his campaign and claiming he was "racing for the airport." Dave ripped...Read More

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon is coming to South Florida to help register voters for Obama. She will be holding an event at the Dolphin Democrats' GLBT Get Out the Vote Center in Wilton Manors. The Obama Campaign...Read More

I got back from the theater this evening (free tickets! w00t!), and Bil tells me on AIM that McCain suspended his campaign. It's just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard, but it's true, McCain's calling for a time-out to...Read More

There isn't anyone who can talk more authentically about how three decades of conservative judges have effectively gutted anti-discrimination law than Lilly Ledbetter. And she did an ad for the Obama campaign. iPhone users: Click to watch More after the...Read More

There isn't anyone who can talk more authentically about how three decades of conservative judges have effectively gutted anti-discrimination law than Lilly Ledbetter. And she did an ad for the Obama campaign. iPhone users: Click to watch More after the...Read More

I'm not an economist. I have no clue how any of that stuff works, and I don't really understand, to be honest, how companies that have to be bailed out to the tune of $700 billion can even still be...Read More

Many of our readers wanted to make sure they were kept updated on the gay couple from Key West, Florida that sued the state so they could adopt their foster son. The couple won the case when the judge declared...Read More

click to enlarge I am not one of those people who want to shrink government to a size where it could be drowned in a bathtub. That said, I have had more than enough "assistance" from the government on...Read More

From the proposed Bush administration Wall Street bailout plan, Section 8: Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion and may not be reviewed by any court of law or...Read More

From the proposed Bush administration Wall Street bailout plan, Section 8: Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion and may not be reviewed by any court of law or...Read More

Representative Barney Frank's office sent us a statement from the Congressman hailing the recent court decision confirming transwoman Diane Schroer was discriminated against by the Library of Congress. Schroer was courted by the library, but when she told them she...Read More

Not that this sort of thing makes much of a difference, but the Yes campaign for Prop 8 in California didn't get the million yard signs they ordered: This past weekend the Yes on 8 campaign had talked up passing...Read More

This interesting article on Salon today paints Sarah Palin as anything but a reformer. Rather , she's said to be a political opportunist, committed to whatever campaign tactic no-matter-how-dirty that will get her elected, and who uses and discards older,...Read More

This interesting article on Salon today paints Sarah Palin as anything but a reformer. Rather , she's said to be a political opportunist, committed to whatever campaign tactic no-matter-how-dirty that will get her elected, and who uses and discards older,...Read More

click to enlarge At this point, most of you have read about the Paulson plan that does not give one dollar to the PEOPLE with the bad mortgages, yet it costs every American over $3000. Frankly I could put...Read More

There are dark clouds on the horizon of the battleground state of Florida. New laws and tales of voter suppression efforts already have many voters nervous and confused. Florida, which was recently named "the most hostile state in the nation...Read More

There are dark clouds on the horizon of the battleground state of Florida. New laws and tales of voter suppression efforts already have many voters nervous and confused. Florida, which was recently named "the most hostile state in the nation...Read More

David Brody's reporting that Doug Kmiec, a possibly insane fundamentalist and homophobe, and former adviser to Romney, Reagan, and Bush Sr., will be campaigning with the Obama campaign next week: An official with Barack Obama's campaign tells The Brody File...Read More

Larry Craig has formed a legal expense fund to keep his fight against his own guilty plea going: Craig calls the new fundraising committee the Fund for Justice, according to Congressional Quarterly. Craig told CQ on Thursday that he's soliciting...Read More

Earlier this year, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California, led a successful and historic effort in Congress to finally do away with the antiquated and unnecessary HIV-travel ban. The ban, which...Read More

Editor's Note: Bill Lindsey is a theologian and writer whose career of several decades has included teaching and administrative work at a number of church-affiliated colleges, including three historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs). His most recent position was Vice-President for Academic...Read More

Updated after the jump The campaign ad was such a closely guarded secret, not even the No on Prop 8 executive committee knew when the first ad was going up on the expensive California airwaves. The idea was to get...Read More

Updated after the jump The campaign ad was such a closely guarded secret, not even the No on Prop 8 executive committee knew when the first ad was going up on the expensive California airwaves. The idea was to get...Read More

When the first source on today's Roy Cohn Award recipient came forward approximately six months ago, he and I decided to wait and see where the presidential election went and how this person's boss performed. Dismally. First a multiple choice...Read More

A troubling New York Times article on Proposition 8, the proposed California anti-marriage constitutional amendment, asserts that some marriage supporters are concerned that strong support for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy among Black voters may spell trouble for efforts to...Read More

A troubling New York Times article on Proposition 8, the proposed California anti-marriage constitutional amendment, asserts that some marriage supporters are concerned that strong support for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy among Black voters may spell trouble for efforts to...Read More

Patrick Sammon has an article up in the Washington Blade about why John McCain is good for LGBT people. I kid you not - even though he lied to The Advocate and said that LCR is focused first on LGBT...Read More

I spent way too long playing with this little graphic of the electoral college map over the weekend. I left it on the nightmare scenario, but you can choose "2008 Swing States" from the drop down menu and create your own prediction.Read More

Censorship is routine now, with stuff that voters need to see being sucked out of sight right and left. Citing "inappropriate content," YouTube has removed Bruce Wilson's revealing video about the uber-pentecostal movement that Sarah Palin's churches are part of....Read More

Editor's Note: Peter DelVecchio is a practicing attorney and free lance writer living with his partner in West Hollywood. He reports regularly for IN Los Angeles magazine and Frontiers, and occasionally for The Advocate. DelVecchio is also active in the...Read More

It has been a rough week - the economy, on-going political nail biting over the election etc - but it was a great week for LGBT senior visibility. Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE)...Read More

A number of you have asked for more information about Ashwin Madia, the Democratic congressional candidate from Minnesota, and where he stands on LGBT issues. Bil Browning, Lane Hudson and I are proud to serve on the host committee for...Read More

There was a wonderful post by Nan Hunter earlier on this court opinion from the United States Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. I'd like to raise the question of what this opinion means for transgender employees. The...Read More

Okay, we were told that there was no money to provide healthcare to poor kids, properly take of our soldiers who had their minds and bodies shattered in Iraq, fix our crumbling schools, repair our national infrastructure or rebuild New...Read More

Okay, we were told that there was no money to provide healthcare to poor kids, properly take of our soldiers who had their minds and bodies shattered in Iraq, fix our crumbling schools, repair our national infrastructure or rebuild New...Read More

When I wrote my post yesterday about Hoosier Access blogger Michael Jezierski's racist rant about Barack Obama, I didn't realize that other local blogs like Masson's Blog and Bloosier Hysteria were already pointing it out. Hoosier Access leader Josh Gillespie...Read More

The Gay-Straight Alliance at the University of West Florida is taking an active role in the fight against Florida's dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2. Club members have been talking with UWF students and Pensacola residents about the importance of going...Read More

Actually, it is very possible. Wyoming, "the Equality State," has a long tradition of individual freedom from government intrusion. And there is a candidate for US Senator there who is totally pro equality (supports all of our goals, including marriage)....Read More

While Republicans nationally aren't known for their diversity, most of the local party members I've had the pleasure of meeting don't appear to be racist. At the very least, they don't say something racist in public. Republican bloggers, however, don't...Read More

On Labor Day, after finishing my summer run of shows, and before one quarter of my tomatoes had turned red, I had to pack up, leave Provincetown and head back to New York. Next summer I either have to plant...Read More

Yesterday, in the first ever victory directly on this point, the ACLU won a federal court decision holding that discrimination against a transgender person constitutes per se sex discrimination in violation of Title VII. In Schroer v Billington, Judge James...Read More

Eight years is nothing for me. I guess it is because I have lived longer and I can't believe the degrees people and political parties will use to cheat the electorate out of their choice for president. I am a...Read More

Updated The nation's economic crisis is causing grave concern among LGBT activists fighting Prop 8, the initiative on the California ballot this November that would overturn the right of same sex couples to marry. "With the economy in so much...Read More

Updated The nation's economic crisis is causing grave concern among LGBT activists fighting Prop 8, the initiative on the California ballot this November that would overturn the right of same sex couples to marry. "With the economy in so much...Read More

There has been much discussion here on Bilerico about the importance of the November elections to the LGBT community and the country at large. Much of that discussion has focused on the presidential race because the differences between Barack Obama...Read More

*Sigh* It's almost too easy, but it's hard to pass up the hypocrisy in John McCain's latest statement. Continuing with his attempt to convince American voters that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is little more than a celebrity, Republican opponent...Read More

A recent conversation about the Frugal Hoosiers blog motivated me to look into a bit more closely at the site and learn more about who is behind it. The blog has never had a name associated with it other than...Read More

Or, more accurately, it won't matter unless we do something about federal judges, according to a new study by the American Constitution Society. Nevertheless, we should disclose at the outset our concluding view that results in the federal courts disfavor...Read More

Back in 1992 I went to the Republican National Convention in Houston to protest with ACT UP. It was an experience I will remember forever - the chants, the planning, the big protest with a Bush doll burning in effigy...Read More

It seems right-wing Fundie Peter LaBarera, the President of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, loves to read the Bilerico Project! The Peter put up a rather twisted article called "Sarah Palin, 'Daddy's Roommate' and the Left's Hypocrisy on 'Book Burning'"...Read More

Florida's SayNo2 Campaign against the dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2 has just announced a contest to create your own commercial against Amendment 2! They will be picking the top user-generated commercials to blast out on all of their social networking...Read More

There's a new Field poll of likely voters on California Prop 8 out. Here it is along with two older polls, one other Field Poll and one from the Public Policy Institute of California: Date:9/18 (FP)8/27 (PPIC)7/18 (FP) For:384042 Against:555451...Read More

Yesterday http://www.bilerico.com/2008/09/funding_and_religion_in_the_arizona_same.php" target="_blank">Alex and Serena both wrote about the tremendous amount of money that the Mormon Church is directing towards the gay marriage bans in California and Arizona. But this story is about more that just money. It's about a...Read More

If you're on Facebook, check out the new Barack Obama campaign app. While the campaign gave me an idea that it was a major upgrade, I had no idea how cool it would be. Our overarching goal in this development...Read More

This is really, really silly. I hope that this won't catch on elsewhere just because it would make me lose faith in humanity (via PZ Meyers): In May, after the California State Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage legal, the courts...Read More

The LA Times has been following the money trail in California to find out who supports the ballot initiative to ban same sex marriage and who supports marriage equality. And it's no surprise that the money trail is pretty much...Read More

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the backers of Proposition 102, the state's ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage, have raised $3.34 million so far. The queers have raised $80,000. So Arizona Together has turned to some, um, more creative...Read More

A recent article in the LA Progressive has several Alaskans dishing the dirt on Sarah Palin. According to the article, Palin has some less than savory things to say about Barack Obama: "So Sambo beat the bitch!" This is how...Read More

A recent article in the LA Progressive has several Alaskans dishing the dirt on Sarah Palin. According to the article, Palin has some less than savory things to say about Barack Obama: "So Sambo beat the bitch!" This is how...Read More

It turns out that the reason why Sarah Palin opposed paying for rape kits with city money, instead sending the bill to the victims, might not be what we thought. Personally, I just thought that like most law-and-order nuts, she...Read More

It turns out that the reason why Sarah Palin opposed paying for rape kits with city money, instead sending the bill to the victims, might not be what we thought. Personally, I just thought that like most law-and-order nuts, she...Read More

Members of SupportMarriage.org, an organization working to pass the dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2, are traveling the state to urge church leaders to tell their flocks to vote yes. Rev. Clayton Cloer, pastor of Orlando's First Baptist Church of Central...Read More

This story was written for Frontiers magazine - but because that publication won't come out until next week and this report is timely, including information about a mix up between the Obama campaign and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los...Read More

This story was written for Frontiers magazine - but because that publication won't come out until next week and this report is timely, including information about a mix up between the Obama campaign and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los...Read More

Tim Wise's bio lets you know he's in a unique position to lay this out on the line. He is the director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE) in Nashville, Tennessee. He lectures across the country about the...Read More

Tim Wise's bio lets you know he's in a unique position to lay this out on the line. He is the director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE) in Nashville, Tennessee. He lectures across the country about the...Read More

When we first heard that Sarah Palin was named to be McCain's running mate, I put together what we knew about her record on LGBT issues, and it wasn't good. She did two things: She supported for Alaska's amendment to...Read More

click to enlarge With the biggest market collapse since 9-11-01 and the worst economy since the Great Depression, what DOES a bad economy look like to John McCain? That is the answer I want from the Straight Talk Express....Read More

Editors' note: California gay rights and AIDS activist and frequent guest blogger Michael Petrelis updates us on campaign rhetoric from the fight against Proposition 8. (Current image being used on the pro-gay-marriage forces' site, to the right. Other signage from...Read More

We must SAY NO 2 the politics that grant tax paying citizens second class citizenship. They flash us back to a time where we can't cannot believe that "those people" acted that way in the inhuman atrocities committed on fellow...Read More

I received an email from America on the recent "Miss Thailand" contest from an 80+ year old friend. Gene is married to Jenny for over sixty years and has a "Chicago Italian" way of looking at things that is often...Read More

Can we just get this bigot out of office already? Brain Blair, incumbent County Commissioner from Hillsborough County in Florida, has once again shown what a complete scumbag he is. Readers may remember Blair as the man who attacked the...Read More

Alaskan Baptist preacher Howard Bess, who has locked horns with Sarah Palin right in the Wasilla community, calls her "Jerry Falwell with a pretty face." I'll add in the now-famous lipstick. Palin is so far to the right of some...Read More

Alaskan Baptist preacher Howard Bess, who has locked horns with Sarah Palin right in the Wasilla community, calls her "Jerry Falwell with a pretty face." I'll add in the now-famous lipstick. Palin is so far to the right of some...Read More

Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabins, did an interview with The Advocate about his organization's endorsement of McCain and Palin. Here's his view of who comes first for the LCR, gays or Republicans: The Advocate: Where do gay rights...Read More

Remember when the McCain campaign said it was taking a "hands off approach" to writing of the GOP platform? Turns out they weren't telling the truth. Again. The Minnesota Independent is reporting that the McCain camp directly tapped right-wing fundie...Read More

I don't want you to miss out on the electoral fun of saying buh-bye to the Bush/Cheney/McCain regime so make sure you are registered to vote. iPhone users: Click to watch Visit Vote for Change to register to vote, request...Read More

I don't know why I'm continuously amazed at the sheer chutzpah of the Republican ticket. While the dastardly duo has clearly sunk to the lowest possible depths in an attempt to keep control of the country, the lengths they are...Read More

Add another voice to the chorus against the dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2. The Daytona Beach News-Journal calls the so-call "Marriage Protection" Amendment out for what it truly is: a "cynical ruse to draw ultra-right voters to the polls." It...Read More

When the Prince of Darkness Karl Rove says you are going too far in your campaign and being dishonest, you know you have a problem. In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Rove slams the McCain Campaign: McCain has gone...Read More

The Value Voters Summit this weekend, a yearly conference for the leaders of the Republican Party and the Religious Right, apparently featured the sale of boxes of waffles with racist caricatures of Barack Obama on them. Apparently the people who...Read More

Tuesday, September 16 is primary day here in Massachusetts -- for state offices, at least. In a heavily Democratic state like MA, primary day is basically election day. The same was true when I lived in Washington, DC. Once Fenty...Read More

There may have been a time when John McCain could have been considered a "maverick," but that time has clearly come and gone. McCain has hired Karl Rove's henchmen to run what even the traditional media is calling one of...Read More

eQualityGiving is organizing a series of conference calls with equality leaders to cover our top giving priorities for the 2008 elections. The series of five calls (maybe six) cover three main priorities: The Presidency Constitutional amendments in California, Florida, and...Read More

It's 4:45 in the afternoon and ominous clouds develop over my city. A storm is on it's way. It is inevitable. In the distance another storm is brewing. Though this one is 8 weeks away. This storm is gathering, the...Read More

It's 4:45 in the afternoon and ominous clouds develop over my city. A storm is on it's way. It is inevitable. In the distance another storm is brewing. Though this one is 8 weeks away. This storm is gathering, the...Read More

The group fighting the repeal of protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender residents in Gainesville, Florida has taken their cause to the web! Equality is Gainesville's Business has launched a website: http://equalitygainesville.com. Our readers have been following this case...Read More

The group fighting the repeal of protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender residents in Gainesville, Florida has taken their cause to the web! Equality is Gainesville's Business has launched a website: http://equalitygainesville.com. Our readers have been following this case...Read More

More information is coming out about Palin and her quest to ban books from the Wasilla Library during her time as Mayor. A New York Times article details disturbing information about Palin's push for censorship of books she considered "immoral"....Read More

Well I see that attorneys for my sentimental but apparently unsuccessful choice for the Republican Vice-Presidential nomination, Idaho Senator Larry Craig, has appeared before the Minnesota Court of Appeals in another try to withdraw his guilty plea concerning misdemeanor toe-tapping...Read More

Okay, so it's displaced anger. I can't punch out any of McCain's political operatives (the guy with the shaved head comes to mind). I can't tell Sarah Palin to just shut the #$@* up already about that bridge to nowhere!...Read More

Proving once again that no one can take down an over pompous windbag like women of The View, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Whoopie Goldberg make mincemeat of John McCain. Even Elisabeth Hasselbeck joins in once Roe v Wade is...Read More

I've been rather unimpressed with the caliber of advertisements coming out of the Obama campaign. You would think with all that money, they could produce some better advertising. Hell, they could throw a contest with their supporters to create their...Read More

While progressives are - understandably - concerned about the small bounce Sarah Palin's nomination as the Republican vice presidential candidate has given the McCain campaign, I have to wonder if she won't end up the laughing stock of America. The...Read More

Editor's Note: Jordan Peters is a 20 year old sophomore at The Ohio State University majoring in International Studies and Russian language. She grew up in Dayton, Ohio with her parents. The 2008 election marks her first opportunity to cast...Read More

click to enlarge After careful consideration to try to explain the outcome of Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin, this is the best I could come up with. In fact, I came up with nothing, today's strip is the...Read More

The Montgomery County trans law finally being implemented is wonderful news to all of us working toward and looking forward to the day that all transgender people, no matter where we reside have civil rights coverage. Congratulations to all of...Read More

Greetings from Austin, Texas! The site of the Annual Out and Equal Workplace Summit. I'm here to emcee their annual awards dinner gala where they celebrate and honor the work of LGBT activists in the corporate world and the work...Read More

As LGBT organizations kick their electoral efforts into high gear, a number of groups are sponsoring training sessions to recruit and strengthen the skills of volunteers. The efforts are a great chance for you to learn how to get engage...Read More

The backers of Amendment 2 continue to try and rally churches to pass the deceptive and discriminatory "Marriage Protection" Amendment in Florida. Now Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, is weighing in from Washington. In their latest video, Perkins...Read More

Log Cabins simply hate being labeled as traitors to the LGBT community, and perhaps their complaints would be more credible if it weren't for statements like this (full release after the jump): Gay Democrats have confused Democrat party rhetoric with...Read More

Log Cabins simply hate being labeled as traitors to the LGBT community, and perhaps their complaints would be more credible if it weren't for statements like this (full release after the jump): Gay Democrats have confused Democrat party rhetoric with...Read More

The backers of Amendment 2 continue to try and rally churches to pass the deceptive and discriminatory "Marriage Protection" Amendment in Florida. Now Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, is weighing in from Washington. In their latest video, Perkins...Read More

Sarah Palin had her first solo interview by the national media with Charlie Gibson last night. You know John McCain sat on a sofa somewhere with his head in his hands muttering, "Why? She's not a maverick, she's a moron."...Read More

Remember when many of us kept lists of names of lovers and friends who died of AIDS? Not long ago, I sat down and made a list of people I know -- some students, mostly educated professional people -- who...Read More

Remember when many of us kept lists of names of lovers and friends who died of AIDS? Not long ago, I sat down and made a list of people I know -- some students, mostly educated professional people -- who...Read More

Remember when many of us kept lists of names of lovers and friends who died of AIDS? Not long ago, I sat down and made a list of people I know -- some students, mostly educated professional people -- who...Read More

The City of Miami has just passed a resolution opposing Amendment 2, which it rightly calls: a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnership benefits... Readers may recall that Miami-Dade County recently passed a domestic partnership registry,...Read More

Looks like some California homophobes have been caught with their hands in the piggy bank: Since 2003, the public has given the Riverside, Calif.-based California Family Council (CFC) nearly $3 million to support charitable work that the organizations says "protects...Read More

Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council, talks about the importance of the LGBT community and our friends and family supporting Sen. Barack Obama for president. Quinn is the first woman and the first open lesbian to hold...Read More

Editors' note: Nan D. Hunter is a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center. Her scholarship focuses on health law and state regulation of gender and sexuality. She's the author of Sexuality, Gender and the Law, and blogs at...Read More

Larry Kroon, the pastor of Wasilla Bible Church, which Sarah Palin attended, was on Fox News to explain why Sarah Palin's church advertised a Love Won Out conference. Love Won Out, which is an arm of Focus on the Family,...Read More

click to enlarge Yes, I went there. Way back in the day - think the 60's, my Mom taught me about being polite. These days, politeness is called political correctness. Over the last 8 years, I have been lied...Read More

This is the kind of crap Tony Perkins wants continue foisting on America with McCain/Palin's help. Wow. Just wow. The Dominionists, feeling full of themselves because of the selection of Palin, simply cannot help themselves. They've taken Palin's mile-wide, inch-deep...Read More

While a Townhall column that opens by telling women who is a feminist icon and who's not (spoiler: Hillary Clinton didn't make the cut), this Kevin McCullough column crosses the line from "typical Republican garbage" to "creepy old guy who...Read More

The Broward School Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to oppose Florida's Amendment 2, a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to not only ban same-sex marriage, but also roll back domestic partnerships and benefits. The board said they were concerned that...Read More

I was at a dinner last night with someone who has, in the past, had access to private information about candidates that later proved correct. This person shared with us that the devastating rumor is around Palin's statement of her...Read More

While I really enjoy reading Hoosier Access for the perspective they bring to Indiana politics - even though I don't agree with 99% of what they write - sometimes something will stick in my craw. One contributor, Scott Fluhr, seems...Read More

The media is abuzz with excitement about Republican Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. McCain's V.P. pick has stirred up excitement, especially for women in the G.O.P. But his pick has also stirred up anxiety as well as questions for many...Read More

There has been a lot of talk post RNC about senior advisors of the McCain campaign speaking before the Log Cabin Republicans. Deb Price, who I love, jumped on the bandwagon with a story about it yesterday. In what appears...Read More

Funding for and against Proposition 8 in California, the amendment to ban same-sex marriage (9/5 numbers, in millions of dollars): ForAgainst Total California $8.8$5.3$14.1 Out-of-state $4.0$5.0$9.0 Total $12.0 $10.2$22.2 In Arizona, amendment supporters have raised around $3 million. I can't...Read More

A while back, I was talking with my sister on the phone and told her the news that our niece was moving back east, and she practically hissed, "Fierce!" Then, to my confused silence, she explained, "That's Christian Siriano from...Read More

Part One: Yours, Mine... One of the things I hoped for when Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic convention, was that she would introduce people to the America that she came from, and that was the setting of her story....Read More

Part One: Yours, Mine... One of the things I hoped for when Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic convention, was that she would introduce people to the America that she came from, and that was the setting of her story....Read More

Yesterday it was one of those moments when you felt sure that the news people must have made it up. Like that moment when you were sure for a fleeting instant that the picture on the TV tube, the one...Read More

Editors' note: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss is an Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College and is the author of Transgender Workplace Diversity, a resource for HR professionals on how to support transgender employees. She blogs regularly about...Read More

While I'd like to point to this video of Governor Mitch Daniels addressing "faith leaders" from around the state and say he's pandering to the religious vote, but... iPhone users: Click to watch...Read More

Unfortunately, at this point I've become accustomed to hearing about the escalating level of police brutality against protesters. But I'm still shocked about the scope of police and "law enforcement" violence at the RNC. It's stunning to watch potential Blackwater...Read More

click to enlarge To quote the Kwisatz Haderach, "Fear Is The Mind-Killer." And I must admit, I fear a McCain/Palin administration and admittedly, I fear a Palin administration even more. If McCain is a maverick, Palin is pure chaos....Read More

Another poz man was prosecuted for non-disclosure (name redacted because there's nothing productive in parading the names and mugshots of people prosecuted for sex crimes around for everyone to see): A gay, 23-year-old man received a suspended 45-day jail sentence,...Read More

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (pictured) has made history as the first mother to be on the Republican presidential ticket, and she has the potential to bring a new perspective on issues that impact America's children to Washington and the White...Read More

In the first class of the advanced seminar in Feminist Theories that I am taking this term, the Professor asked students in the course to introduce themselves by offering their definition of feminism. I was amazed as the eleven people...Read More

After a week of the kind of cynicism, vitriol and we saw at the Republican Convention, this clip from Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden must be seen to be believed. iPhone users: Click to watch...Read More

Dear Joe, I've heard you might be posting on the Bilerico Project again, so I'm writing this in the hopes that you'll read it and respond. First and foremost, before you read any further, let me say this: I'm not...Read More

The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association is holding its annual Lavender Law conference in San Francisco this weekend. I took some time off from conference sessions to do some sightseeing today. Dale Chihuly at the deYoung Museum. A walk...Read More

Republicans know how to manipulate imagery well. It's a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, but then I'm never going to vote Republican anyway. Here are some of the backdrops they put up behind their big convention speakers since they couldn't...Read More

Cindy McCain's Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000. Her four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000-$25,000. Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000. Total price of her outfit, including watch and shoes: Between $299,100 and $313,100. Effect on the American people and the world if her...Read More

Even from far away Thailand I could watch wall to wall coverage on CNN of John McCain's acceptance speech. I began watching coverage at 5:30 AM to catch it live. When finally we got to the acceptance speech, I was...Read More

The Sarasota City Commission voted unanimously this week to draft a policy that would extend health care benefits to unmarried domestic partners of city employees, including same-sex couples. City Commissioner Ken Shelin, who first introduced the concept three years ago,...Read More

click to enlarge When I was studying economics at Wake Forest University, the Cold War was still on and Reagan was in his second term. As part of the course, we had to read the English version of Pravda....Read More

A judge threw out a lawsuit brought by the Alliance Defense Fund to stop the governor's executive order to recognize marriage performed outside of the state. "The [Paterson's] directive is entirely lawful," Billings wrote. "New York's recognition of same-sex marriages...Read More

John McCain isn't the only person in his family who can claim to be a maverick. His wife Cindy McCain made statements this week showing her support for abortion and reproductive choice. According to The Guardian: When asked by CBS...Read More

John McCain isn't the only person in his family who can claim to be a maverick. His wife Cindy McCain made statements this week showing her support for abortion and reproductive choice. According to The Guardian: When asked by CBS...Read More

When did an oil pipeline, the war in Iraq and a sports complex become ordained by God? When Sarah Palin is preaching the gospel of the Almighty Dollar. iPhone users: Click to watch My dad is a Pentecostal. We've not...Read More

Both Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mocked Barack Obama in their RNC speeches by saying he is nothing but a "community organizer" and the world needs somebody with more experience. How did Sarah Palin get through the rehearsal of this...Read More

Both Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mocked Barack Obama in their RNC speeches by saying he is nothing but a "community organizer" and the world needs somebody with more experience. How did Sarah Palin get through the rehearsal of this...Read More

Now with even more protesters! My God, I love the Code Pink/Iraq Veterans Against the War people. Anyone notice that the guy in balcony was the hot former service member who protested at the Alberto Gonzales congressional hearings with his...Read More

Focus groups conducted this week by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund have found that the GOP's nomination of Sarah Palin may have the intended effect with women voters. There were only two focus groups...Read More

Somewhere amidst flipping between the season premiere of America's Next Top Model and the new episode of Project Runway, I stomached my way through what I could of the Republican National Convention. (Republicans always leave me with an upset stomach....Read More

A Mason-Dixon poll taken for The Orlando Sentinel shows that 57 percent of voters support Amendment 2, the dangerous "Marriage Protection" amendment, while 36 percent said they intend to vote against it. Florida's constitution requires a 60 percent majority to...Read More

There's been a bit of hand-wringing in the LGBT blogosphere about the absolutely tortured logic in the Log Cabin Republicans' endorsement of McCain and Palin. They claim that his opposition to the FMA outweighs everything - including his opposition to...Read More

Every time my email buzzes- and it's been buzzing all day pretty much non-stop- it's another piece of news about the Republican party. First off, I have to ask the question, who the hell did the vetting on Sarah Palin?...Read More

click to enlarge Here is my new theory. I believe the GOP NeoCons, like Rove, are working to make the best out of a bad situation. McCain is really not their boy. He is malleable to a point, but...Read More

This morning I had one of those ah-ha moments that leaves you slightly ill and trembling as you confront a reality of which you were aware but had somehow managed to avoid. In so many places, on lists and on...Read More

If you missed a chance to see last night's Sarah Palin speech to the Republican National Convention, you missed drama at its highest. She deserves an Emmy for that performance. Of course, while the Right has been complaining about how...Read More

On Thursday, September 4th at 12 noon, Equality is Gainesville's Business and a coalition of leaders in Gainesville's faith, African American, and university communities will hold a Press Conference in support of Gainesville's civil rights protections. These persons stand united...Read More

Despite the spin being put on John McCain's anti-gay record by Log Cabin Republicans, there is ample evidence that McCain is no "maverick" on LGBT equality. As an example check out this ad from 2006 promoting an anti-gay constitutional amendment...Read More

Some on the putative left, represented by the likes of John Nichols, have taken it upon themselves to tell us all that the Bristol Palin pregnancy story is simply too insignificant in comparison to, for instance, the "Troopergate" story. Or...Read More

I could tell that HRC's Corporate Equality Index, which ranks LGBT worker friendliness of major corporations based on a questionnaire, was out because I got a bunch of press releases from corporations with subject lines bragging about how LGBT friendly...Read More

I was very surprised when I heard about John McCain's recent VP pick in Alaska governor, Sarah Palin. The announcement filled me with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and a little tinge of fear. I'll admit that I was an...Read More

A new study released today indicates how woefully behind the times the Democratic Congressional leadership and the Human Rights Campaign are in terms of their support for LGBT "bread and butter" issues, and most especially on workplace rights for transgender...Read More

A new study released today indicates how woefully behind the times the Democratic Congressional leadership and the Human Rights Campaign are in terms of their support for LGBT "bread and butter" issues, and most especially on workplace rights for transgender...Read More

Just in case you missed every thrilling moment of last night's Republican National Convention, our partners at MSNBC bring you video of all the major speakers. While Joe Lieberman was the last to speak, I thought I'd put him up...Read More

I don't understand all the praise I'm hearing from Republicans and Christian conservatives about Bristol Palin (the 17-year-old daughter of VP pick Sarah Palin) doing the right thing by having her baby and marrying the baby's father. Is it a...Read More

Well, they did it. Log Cabin Republicans today announced its endorsement of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for President of the United States . Log Cabin's national board of directors voted 12-2 to endorse the Republican nominees for President and Vice...Read More

As national convention time rumbles onward, an old issue rears its ugly head. It's the ugliest, most terrifying monster head that Americans can see during a Presidential election. It wears the contorted face of a denial of rights guaranteed in...Read More

As national convention time rumbles onward, an old issue rears its ugly head. It's the ugliest, most terrifying monster head that Americans can see during a Presidential election. It wears the contorted face of a denial of rights guaranteed in...Read More

As national convention time rumbles onward, an old issue rears its ugly head. It's the ugliest, most terrifying monster head that Americans can see during a Presidential election. It wears the contorted face of a denial of rights guaranteed in...Read More

A big thank you to Anjali for circulating the link: You watching what's going on outside the RNC? The Coldsnap Legal Collective is on Twitter with frequent updates about policing of protests surrounding the RNC....Read More

The American Family Association, Focus on the Family, the Traditional Values Coalition, the Concerned Women for America, and the Family Research Council have this to say about Sarah Palin's unwed, teenage, pregnant daughter and what they think of Palin's parenting...Read More

click to enlarge The last 4 days have left many of us bewildered and sleep deprived. "It is 3am and I can't go to bed now, there may be ANOTHER Palin story that breaks!" But somehow we managed to...Read More

The historic Democratic National Convention is over but one question remains: what the hell happened to the gays? Like so many others around the world, LGBT people watched through excited tears as Barack Obama accepted the presidential nomination at Mile...Read More

The historic Democratic National Convention is over but one question remains: what the hell happened to the gays? Like so many others around the world, LGBT people watched through excited tears as Barack Obama accepted the presidential nomination at Mile...Read More

Amy Goodman, a long time, well respected journalist was arrested yesterday at the RNC. From Democracy Now: "Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfully detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole...Read More

Life must be hell right now for gay Republican bloggers. After all, you're stuck defending a presidential candidate who doesn't thinks gays and lesbians should be able to adopt and a vice presidential pick who thinks even state employee domestic...Read More

I really wasn't planning on blogging anything on Sarah Palin for a little while, because I thought, incorrectly, that she wasn't that bad of a pick given the options. Meanwhile, a very select number of leftist bloggers have been focusing...Read More

Thank you, Republicans, for just handing the Democrats the election. A connection between GOP House Deputy Whip Bill Shuster and "Hookers and Blow"? iPhone users: Click to watch Yeah. Sometimes it's just too easy; the jokes write themselves....Read More

Now that I'm home (bummer!) and recuperated a bit (yay!) I have some thoughts swirling around that need to get out. In no particular order, here are some of the things I wanted to say over the last week, but...Read More

Sarah Palin just came out and acknowledged her daughter Bristol's pregnancy. I was wrong. Palin did not fake her pregnancy. I have no idea how she looked like that but she did. I have to admit, I was not only...Read More